Connections
by beautifulmind
Summary: Seto Kaiba gets his feathers ruffled by a girl. But not an ordinary girl. How would they solve the Code that brought them together in the first place? Where would the Code lead them?
1. Chapter 1

Please R&R. Reviews means a lot to me. Enjoy…

Chapter 1.

Something Else on My Mind.

Seto Kaiba, the CEO of Kaiba Corp was in his office that morning. He just finished a meeting with the Board Member. Leaning against the desk, he stared outside through the glass window. His face seemed very calm but his mind was racing. He kept thinking about a way to beat Yugi, the best duelist around his nemesis. " I really wish I can think of something else. To bad, nothing is as interesting as beating Yugi and his cards," Kaiba whispered to himself. " There's more to life than beating someone else, you know…," a voice from behind answered. Kaiba turned his body to face the speaker. He was caught off-guard. " Who the hell……," his anger died when I saw the speaker's face. " I believe you're Seto Kaiba," the speaker resumed talking. The unexpected sight left Kaiba speechless, the thing that he never felt before.

Standing before him is a teenage girl about his age. Her hands were inside her pant's pocket. She has emerald eyes and a long black hair tied into ponytail. She was wearing a brown jacket over a white shirt and a pair of jeans. She was smirking to him. Finally, Kaiba found his lost words back. He remembered his anger a while ago. " Who the hell are you and how the hell do you get in here without my knowledge," Kaiba demanded for answers. " Simple…. I broke in," the girl walked towards Kaiba desk, the smirk was still on her face. She stopped a few feet from his desk. Now, they're facing each other. Up-close. Her emerald eyes locked into his blue eyes. The staring contest went for quite some time since neither of them wants to give up. With her eyes still locked on his, the girl moved her hand into her jacket.

Kaiba was alarmed. ' Is she reaching for her gun?', Kaiba could only stared into her eyes, trying to interpret her next move. The girl saw Kaiba alamed expression. She broke into a laugh. " Don't worry. I'm not here to kill you. I know you're thinking that I'm pulling out my gun," she explained, smiling with a few trace of laughter. Kaiba felt like an idiot but he recovered his composure quickly. The girl had stop laughing. Now, she's just smiling. " I'll ask you again. Why are you here," Kaiba was getting impatient. She moved her hand out from her jacket pocket. In her hand was a CD. " This is the reason I'm here…," the girl answered as she threw the CD case on Kaiba desk. The case slides and stops in front of him. " I already have a lot of CD's, a lot of them are useless. I don't want yours to add to the 'useless collection," Kaiba answered trying to put as much acid as he can in the sentence, his way of brushing of his foe. The girl smirked again, not affected by the words. Her smile had neutralized the acid in his words. ' God, I hate that smirk', Kaiba thought when he saw her smirking. "The CD is not useless. Take a look before saying anything further," her voice was more serious than before. With that she walked towards the door. " Where do you think you're going," Kaiba asked when he saw her leaving. She turned around. " Your alarm will go off in about 30 seconds. I must go now if I don't want to get caught." She continued walking. She turned again. " And don't bother to find me. You will not succeed. I'll find you, ok?." With that, she went outside the room, closing the door behind her.

Kaiba was still in shock, trying to digest what just happen. After a few seconds, he dashed to the door, hoping to catch the girl and squeeze some explanation from her. The door flung open. Kaiba stepped outside. He looked around. The girl was nowhere to be found. The only sight was his secretary at her desk. She was alarmed by her boss action. Kaiba approached Maria, his secretary desk. " Have you seen a girl come out from my room," Kaiba asked Maria. His eyes were still darting all over the place, in search for the mysterious girl. " A girl, sir? No…I just come back from the toilet…, " Maria answered although she was still perplexed by her boss sudden question. " 30 seconds…. 5 more seconds to go….," Kaiba muttered to himself after checking his watch. " Pardon, sir? You said something," Maria asked her boss. Kaiba didn't answer her. His gaze was fixed on his watch. After 5 seconds, all the alarms in the office went crazy. The alarm signified breach in every security programs. Kaiba was amazed. ' Who is this girl? How could she hack into my security system? And how could she got away with it? .' Kaiba rushed to the security control room. He was pissed. On his way to the security control room, he couldn't get his mind of the mysterious girl. But after a while, he smiled. ' At last, something else that can interest me other than beating Yugi.'

He reached the security control room. Most of the alarm had been shut down. " What happened," he barked as he entered the room. The Chief of Security approached him. " Mr. Kaiba, an intruder broke in and hack into the computer security system," the guy explained the situation to him. " What's the percentage of damage, "Kaiba asked one of the technician. " Well, this may sound preposterous but it's zero…," the technician replied nervously. " What? A hacker broke in and left no damage? You must be joking….. ," Kaiba said in a surprised tone. " You can take a look yourself, Mr. Kaiba…. , " the technician pointed to the screen. Kaiba looked up. The screen was showing result of the scanning process. No damage had been done to the system. " What in the hell happen here……'. Kaiba couldn't believe his eyes. " How can this happen? What's the purpose of the hacker? Hacking without doing any damage…," Kaiba asked himself.

The nervous technician answered him, " I think the hacker is toying with us. He…. Or she is trying to tell us that he… or she can hack in any time. That he or she has the power against us……" Kaiba nodded. The technician explanation makes sense. " She….," Kaiba muttered. Suddenly, the image of the mysterious girl appeared in his mind. " John, run the CCTV at my office door 3 minutes ago…," Kaiba ordered the nervous technician. John was puzzled but he did what he was told. Kaiba office door appeared on the screen. " Fast forward….," Kaiba resumed his order. John obeyed. After a few seconds, the screen went black. A white sentence emerged from the black background. ' DON'T BOTHER TO FIND ME. YOU WILL NEVER SUCEED.' Kaiba didn't move his eyes from the screen. John was puzzled. He looked at Kaiba for answer. " It's her……..," Kaiba muttered.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 The Hunt Begins 

A girl was cycling down the street. She was whistling happily and sometimes humming. Her emerald eyes were relaxed and tranquil while her silky black hair flowed according to the wind. Her good looks received some whistling and gazes from guys along the street but she didn't give a damn about it. She's just out to enjoy herself on a beautiful day. Besides, she already sets her eyes on a certain guy and she won't let him go until she gets what she comes for. " Seto Kaiba…," she blurted the name. Then, she smiled to herself. " I must piss him off because the chaos I caused at his office…." She laughed thinking what she had done.

Kaiba was heading home after the chaos erupted at the office. He bet it was the mysterious girl doing. " She's giving me a headache…. Whoever she is…," Kaiba muttered. " You said something, Sir," his driver, Smith asked. " No…nothing. I had a long day and I really want to get home quickly, Smith." There was weariness in his voice. Smith had worked for Kaiba family for a long time, and he never saw Seto Kaiba lost his composure no matter how hard and pressuring the situation is. He increased the car speed.

Mokuba Kaiba was waiting at the house. He was agitated. He heard what happen at Kaiba Corp when he got home from school. He was anxious for his brother to come home. He wanted to know what had happen. While he was pacing at the living room, his brother's car stops at the front door. He ran towards the door. Mokuba saw Seto got out of the car. He seemed very tired and pressured. He postponed his entire question thinking that his brother must have a hell of a day. Seto noticed Mokuba was waiting at the front door. His face was anxious and disturbed. He knew that Mokuba knew what had happen at Kaiba Corp. " Hey, Mokuba…. How's your day at school," Kaiba tried to sound cheerful but Mokuba could trace the tiredness in his voice. " It's ok. But I don't think it's the same for you, right Ni-san," Mokuba replied. Seto looked into Mokuba's eyes. His eyes were full with worry and anxiety for his brother. Finally, Seto blurted, " It's not a big deal. I can handle it. I can handle everything…." Seto walked into the living room. He sat on the couch and laid back his head with his eyes closed. Mokuba knew that his brother was lying. ' He don't want me to worry about it…. But he seems like he cannot handle it alone. Not this time…..' Mokuba sighed. He walked towards his bedroom. As he passed Seto, he wished him good night. Seto just replied with a hum. " Not this time…. He needs someone to support him. Unfortunately…it's not me. Please! Somebody…Help him," Mokuba whispered to himself as he climbed up the stairs to his bedroom.

Seto was very tired. He was getting ready to go to sleep. ' I'm going to sleep like a log tonight..'. He was about to climb into his bed when he saw the CD case in his jacket. He thought about it for a while. " Ah…what the hell…..," Kaiba grabbed the CD case and headed towards his PC. He inserted the CD into the CD driver. With a few clicks on the mouse, the CD's contents appear. The first was a video file. He opened the file. The video started. A man in his late 50's appeared. " Aoki Kazuya ," Seto whispered to himself. ' He died in a plane crash 3 days ago. By the date, this video is captured a day before the crash. What's the girl got to do with Aoki Kazuya. And why I', involved in this?'. Seto's mind was racing fast to answer his question but to no avail. Aoki Kazuya continued talking. " The other files in this CD contain a bunch of codes. Break the codes and you'll find a formula towards developing an invention, my invention that will shock the world. This invention is my best ever. You are the only one who can decode the codes, Aya-chan. Please give a copy of this CD to Seto Kaiba from Kaiba Corporation. Please help him decode these codes. Seto Kaiba will ensure this invention will be safe from any harm and misuse. Mr. Kaiba, if you're watching this, please protects this invention and the person who brings it to you. I assure you you'll find this invention very useful to your company after the decoding process complete. Only Asuke can do the decoding process. That's all I have left to say. To Aya-chan, forgive me for what I have done. I can only beg for your forgiveness. I can understand if you'll hate for the rest of your life. Asuka, take care of Aya-chan. You were born to do that. Do everything you can to help her and make her happy. Sacrifices everything for her! You hear me! Goodbye, Asuka. " The video ended. Kaiba was still staring at the blank monitor. ' Asuka? Who is this guy? And that girl, the so-called Aya-chan? She must be Aoki Kazuya's family. Daughter? How can I find this Asuka? Those codes? What are they protecting? What kind of invention? Why me? And without no rewards?.' Many questions ran through Seto's mind but not even one answer to the question. Seto yawned. Only now he remembered, he was very tired and on the way to sleep. Seto rose from the chair, click the PC into stand-by mode and went to bed.

Seto woke up quite late the next morning. Later, he found out Mokuba told the servants to not wake him up. ' How thoughtful…'. Seto got dressed and headed for his office. Today, he will hunt the mysterious girl from yesterday. ' She own me an explanation about everything.' Before leaving, Seto wrote a memo. He gave the memo to the maid and told her to give it to his brother when he got back from school. He wrote: " Meet me at the coffee house in front of KC. I'll tell you about everything."

Seto sat and relaxed in his chair. H e had given out orders to find the girl and Aoki Kazuya's family. ' Now, all I have to do is wait.' Seto sighed. He knew he's not a patient man. Waiting suffocates him. While waiting, he remembered the CD. He opened the codes. For a while, he was craking his head trying to break the code. 'It's no use. These codes maybe are made-up by Aoki Kazuya himself and only the Asuka guy can decode it.' Seto knew the code was unbreakable without Asuka. ' Again, why me? Why not anyone else? Hell! Why not Pegasus? Everything is giving me headache. When will that girl come to see me? Will she see me again? Of course! She has to! She can't leave me with this mess….' Seto was still having a monologue with himself when a knock on the door was heard. " Come in," Kaiba ordered. John, his head technician came in. He was supposed to give him the report about the breaking yesterday. " So? Finish with the report," Kaiba asked as John walked towards his desk. " Yes, Mr. Kaiba. The report shows that no damage had been done to any of our system. The alarm was set off purposely… like a warning for us. Other than chaos, the breakage had done no harm whatsoever..," John explained. Kaiba nodded. He already knew that that girl yesterday did the breakage. Now, he just has to find her. " OK, John. You may go out…."

John nodded and leaved.

Half an hour later, Maria came into the office. " Mr. Kaiba, the search about the person you asked for had returned empty-handed. There's no known record about the person that you're trying to find." Seto said nothing. He somehow knew the girl couldn't be found. 'DON'T BOTHER TO FIND ME. YOU WILL NEVER SUCEED' These words kept echoing in his mind. " What about Aoki Kazuya relatives," Kaiba asked his secretary. " Aoki Kazuya was assumed dead in the plane crash 4 days ago. He used to have a family. He had a wife, two sons and a daughter. His entire family member died before him in a shipwreck about 10 years ago. His partner said he stopped working with him about 2 years ago. He received no news from him until recently, the plane crash." Kaiba nodded. Maria knew she had done her job. " Any other order, Mr. Kaiba," Maria asked before leaving the room. Seto just shook his head and signaled her to go. ' No relatives or recent partner? Then, who's Asuka? And why is he apologizing to Aya-chan? Again Seto Kaiba was left with a thousand question but no answer.

Like the memo he had written to Mokuba, he went to the coffee house in front of KC. He waited for 5 minutes before came to the place. He was very excited to hear the story. After their order arrived, he told Mokuba everything: the girl, the security breach and even the codes. Mokuba listened carefully. He nodded a few times. " That's it. Everything that had happens yesterday. And I think it's not going to end yet. It's just the beginning," Seto finished his story. Mokuba nodded. " So, tell me about this girl, how does she looks like? She must be an amazing computer nerd since she could wreck the security system," Mokuba asked. " Actually no, she looks nothing like a computer nerd. She's about my age; maybe a few years younger than I am, she has black long hair, emerald eyes and a well-build feature. She wore a clothing like a normal people, no more like sportive person would," Seto described her. " Okay, not our everyday computer geek. I would like to see this girl," Mokuba made a remark. Seto smiled to his brother but he stared outside. ' So do I…'

Seto headed home when it was almost midnight. He had to finish a proposal that will be presented to the board member in a few days. He was very tired especially with the mysterious girl, mysterious codes that had happened these past few days. Seto was already asleep when the car reached the mansion. Smith, the driver woke him up and he headed straight to bed. Seto was changing into his pajamas with his eyes literally closed. He dragged himself to the bed and threw himself on the bed. Within seconds, he was already in Dreamland.

Mokuba was in his bedroom. He was asleep but he was awoken by the car's engine. He looked at the clock. It was 2.00 in the morning. ' Brother is very busy lately. He must be up to something big. Probably he's busy looking for that girl.' Mokuba decided he didn't want to care so he closed his eyes to go back to sleep.

There was a shadow lurking around the bushes at Kaiba's mansion lawn. The shadow moved very quietly. The lurking person spotted Kaiba's bedroom. ' Just what I came for.' The intruder climbed up using the pipe next to the bedroom window. The intruder moved quietly but very agile. After a few minutes, without even breaking a sweat, the intruder reached the window. The window wasn't closed, probably to let the cold night air in.

The intruder could see Seto Kaiba sleeping like a baby. The person jumped inside the room but without making any noise. The intruder seemed very professional in breaking an entrance and moved like a cat. The intruder approached the bed and stood at the bedside.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 : Mokuba's Misunderstanding.

Seto realized that there was someone else in the room. He made not move, pretending to be in deep sleep. ' I'll grab him and pinned him down when he's near.' Seto could feel the intruder stood at his bedside. He waited for the intruder to make his move. The intruder held out his hand and slowly moved his hand towards Seto's face.

' Now,' Seto's mind screamed and he opened his eye. The intruder noticed that Seto was about to roll out from his bed. He cupped Seto's mouth with his left hand, while his right hand pinned Seto's right shoulder to the bed. The intruder was on top of him. Seto struggled to get loose. He kicked his feet in the air and his feet hit the vase at his bed table. The vase fell to the floor and broke. Seto was still trying to get loose and he managed to turn the table: now he was on top of the intruder. The intruder struggled a little. Seto was pinning the intruder down. He had both of his hand on his shoulder. Then, he immediately stopped when he heard the intruder voice. " Stop it! You're hurting me and you'll wake everyone up!." It was a girl's voice. And it sounded very familiar. " You!" Seto exclaimed when he saw the intruder's face with the help from the moonlight. The moonlight shined directly on the intruder's face. She….yes she, smirked when she saw Seto's expression. She was the mysterious girl who wrecked Kaiba Corp's security system.

" Miss me," the girl asked. Seto was too flabbergasted to say or do anything. He didn't even realizing he was still on top of the girl, pinning her down but he had eased his pin a little." How? How the hell did you get in here," Seto demanded after he recovered his composure. The girl relaxed herself. ' Nice bed.' She was about to answer when Seto cut her, " I know, you break in, again…." She looked satisfied and smiled. Seto was just about to get off her when the bedroom door flung opened.

" Brother," Mokuba screamed while running inside with a baseball bat in his hand. He immediately halted when he saw what was in front of him. His brother was on top of a girl in his bed. Mokuba knew, guessed what was happening. His mouth fell to the ground. Seto paused but when he saw the look on his brother's face, he knew what was Mokuba's thinking. He was on top of a girl on bed. What else could Mokuba was thinking?

The girl looked at the door. There, stood a surprised boy. She can tell what he was thinking judging by the look on his face. A guy was on top of her on a bed. She couldn't blame him. Things didn't look too good. The boy just stood there, his mind was trying to digest and determine the next thing to do.

Seto quickly got off the girl. He stood at the bedside. The girl calmly sat up at the bedside. She straightened her clothes without giving much attention towards the awkward situation in the room. Seto looked at Mokuba and the girl. He walked towards Mokuba in small cautious step. " Mokuba, I can explain..," Seto said slowly. Mokuba looked at his brother and smiled nervously, " I'm sorry if I'm interrupting something. I thought there was an intruder or something," Mokuba explained with chuckles. " Well, you're right, kid," the girl replied. Mokuba was confused. " I am an intruder, I broke into this mansion," the girl explained casually.

Mokuba studied the girl. She was about his brother's age. She had long black hair tied into a ponytail. She was wearing black pants, black T-shirt and a black fitting leather jacket. ' She surely does look like an intruder with all the blacks.' Mokuba could see her emerald eyes glittering under the moonlight. She was beautiful. She looked like an angel in black under the moonlight. Then, the thought hit him. It's her, the girl his brother told him before. Mokuba pointed his finger to the girl. " It's you isn't it? You're the girl who made KC's security system looked like child's play…," he was yelling excitedly while waving his finger up and down. The girl looked at Seto. Seto noticed she was looking at him. The girl smirked, " I did that? Didn't I," she said mischievously. Seto grimaced. He hated to admit it but what Mokuba said was right. Mokuba calmed down. He walked towards his brother. Mokuba whispered to his brother, " You didn't told me she's a beautiful intruder…." Seto was surprised. He never noticed until Mokuba mentioned it. Seto Kaiba observed the girl. ' She is a beautiful girl. I didn't realized it before. She looks like an angel under the moonlight.'

The girl stood from the bedside. She was facing both Seto and Mokuba, who stood next to his brother. There was silence for a while. " I guess you're waiting to know why I'm here," the girl asked uncertainly. " Of course we are," Mokuba yelled a little. The girl nodded calmly. " Have you take a look at the CD," she asked Seto. " Yeah..," Seto replied uninterestingly. " Who's Asuka anyway," Seto asked, remembering that only Asuka could break the codes. " I am," the girl exclaimed calmly. Seto and Mokuba was shocked. " That's explained how you hacked into KC's security system," Mokuba made a point. " That was too easy. I barely broke a sweat doing that," she said slyly and sat on the bedside again. Seto was pissed. No one ever said like that about KC's security system. But he remained calm; he needed to extract info from this girl. Seto walked to the bedside and stood in front of the girl. The girl looked up. " Who's Aya-chan," Seto asked. " Aoki Kazuya's daughter." Seto was confused, " Why are you and Aya-chan are in his video?." The girl lied on the bed. She placed both of her hand behind her head. She stared to the ceiling. Without looking at Seto and Mokuba she said, " You really haven't figured it out?." Seto shocked his head although every nerve in his body told him not too. He can't help it. He wants explanation, he want things to be cleared. " It is because both of them are important to Aoki Kazuya." "How?." " Aya-chan was his daughter and so does Asuka, well, Asuka was supposed to be his daughter. Seto was confused again. " What do you mean by that? Supposed to be his daughter?." " I was born from Aoki Kazuya's gene but not as his daughter but the protector of his daughter, Aya-chan….," the girl replied. There was a trace of sadness in her voice. " So, Aya-chan is your sister..," Mokuba interrupted. " Yes, she is but no one treat me like that, to them, I'm just a blood-related bodyguard." Seto tried to process what the girl just said. The girl sat up. " I think I should go now!." She started walking towards the window. Seto was surprised. He did something without thinking. He grabbed the girl wrist and pulled her into his arm. The girl was totally surprised with Seto's act. So does Mokuba. Now, Seto was holding the girl at her waist, in his arm. He looked into her eyes. " You're not going until I understand everything that's going on." She could see determination in his eyes. She smiled and said, " That would be impossible cause even I don't understand everything." Seto let the girl go. " Well, you can start by telling everything you know." The girl stared at Seto. She knew that Seto wouldn't change his decision. She smiled and said, " Sure… why not?."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 : Half is Unfolded.

Mokuba led the way into the living room. The girl followed Mokuba and Seto was the last one who entered the living room. The girl sat on the couch. Seto switched on the lights. A few minutes after that, the servants came in with their sleeping attire. " Is something wrong, Master Kaiba? Do you need anything," they asked with concern. They said nothing when they saw the girl. " It's okay… go back to sleep… I can handle everything," Seto commanded. Reluctantly, they went to bed. The girl got up and walked away. " Where are you going," Mokuba asked. " Kitchen. I need something to drink," she made her way to the kitchen. Mokuba and Seto followed her. " Wait! How do you know the way to the kitchen," Mokuba said when he realized the girl found the kitchen on her own. The girl made no reply. "You were here before, right," Seto guessed. " Yap….," the girl replied but her hand was busy making drinks. Seto and Mokuba waited at the dining room. None of them said nothing. A few minutes later, the girl entered the room with 3 glasses of cold drinks. She placed it on the table and she took a seat opposite Seto. " So, what do you want to know," she asked after taking a sip. " Let's start with who you are…" " My name Asuka Kazuya. I'm a year younger than you. I'm trying to solve a problem my father left before he died." Seto nodded. " How did I got involved in this?." " Same way like I did.. The CD.."

Seto nodded. " And? What else do you know," Seto asked. " Like you, I know nothing," the girl answered. Seto glared at the girl. She noticed and raised her hand, " That's the truth. I know nothing more than you do." Seto refused to believe it but he knew the girl was telling the truth. There was silence in the room. " Ne, Asuka-neechan..," Mokuba called. Asuka looked at Mokuba. " What do you mean by 'blood-related bodyguard?." Asuka sighed. " Actually I don't like talking about it.. but since you've asked.. Aya is my younger sister. I'm her sister. Of course a sister must protect her younger sister but my father give a whole new meaning to the word 'protect'. I was 'trained' to protect her for she carried something important in her. Something very important to my father's research. But to me, both of us are his lab rats." Asuka paused. " Where's your sister," Seto asked. " Well, she's dead. A month before my father died. My father was so mad he tried to kill me so I ran away. Had peace for a while when he died and left his problems to me…"

Seto and Mokuba was surprised. " Happy family…," Seto blurted. Asuka just shrugged. " For some reason, some guys are aftering me. They want the codes and me. Somehow, I can tell they're up to no good so I managed to get way… for now…," Asuka explained as she paced around the living room. " Now, we must work together to break the code," Seto suggested. " But why me? Why not Maximillion Pegasus," Seto asked. " Beats me. Who's this Pegasus guy anyway," Asuka asked Seto and Mokuba. Mokuba made a startled face. Asuka saw this and said, 'Don't bother to tell me…"

Asuka looked at her watch. " It's quite late. Guess I should leave now. Sorry for interrupting." Asuke walked towards the door. Mokuba stopped her. " You can spend the night here, right Brother," Mokuba pleaded to Seto.

Asuka glanced at Seto. " Sure, why not," Seto mumbled and started to leave. Mokuba smiled. He took Asuka's arm and showed her the guest room. Asuka followed him without saying anything.

Asuka and Mokuba were in the guest room. Mokuba was showing her the bathroom and other places. Asuka thanked him and told him to go to bed. " It's late and you have school tomorrow right?." Mokuba nodded and obeyed. Asuka wished the boy good noght and Mokuba left to his room. Asuka took off her leather jacket and placed it on the chair. She was wearing a white sleeveless shirt underneath. Asuka jumped on the bed and dozed off after a few minutes.

But a few hours later, she woke up when she heard something moved. She sat up and strained to see in the dark. She saw someone was sitting at the couch opposite the bed. " What's up Kaiba? You having trouble to sleep," Asuka asked and yawned. Seto who was sitting at the couch said nothing. He just stared at Asuka. Asuka sighed an got up from the bed. She sat next to him. " What do you want to know? I don't have the answer to all your questions but I can help you find them. We're looking for the same thing," Asuka explained, not looking at his face.

" I've been thinking. Why do I have to find something that I don't even know what it is? This have no connection whatsoever to me, why should I do this? Why should I help you find the answer to your problem," Seto said calmly, his eyes staring the darkness. Asuka bolted up from the couch. She took her jacket from the chair and walked towards the door. " I'm sorry I involved you in this. What you said is right. I have no right to trouble you with my problems. I thought you could help but I guess I was wrong. Whatever…. Thanks for your time..," Asuka slammed the door and leaved, not sparing even a glance towards Seto. Seto could hear her footsteps until she closed the entrance. He sighed.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Mokuba woke up feeling happy and fresh although he didn't get any sleep. He hummed on his way to the dining table. He saw Seto was already there, reading the paper. " Good morning, Brother," he chirped happily. Seto replied with a nod. Mokuba looked around. " Where's Asuka-neechan," Mokuba asked, his eyes still searching around the compound. " She let last night..," Seto said without giving much care. ' What? Why," Mokuba was clearky surprise by the news. He thought he could have at least a breakfast with her. Seto shrugged. Mokuba was crestfallen. Seto looked at his brother. Then he got up from his seat. " I'm going. See you later Mokuba." Mokuba nodded and slowly chewed his toast.

Seto reached the Kaiba Corporation building and headed straight to his office. He had no mood to do anything today. He felt quite guilty about what he had said to Asuka last night. Guilty. The feeling he never felt before. 'I shouldn't said that to her. That was too cruel, even for my standard.' Seto did everything he was supposed to do at his office. He finised his work early that day. Yet, he felt empty. Like something was missing. Ignoring his feelings, he headed home.

Three days had past since Asuka left the mansion. Seto could sense Mokuba's sadness. He knew Mokuba liked her. 'Damn! Even I like her..' Mokuba had no appetite to eat and that worries Seto so he asked his little brother what was wrong. " I don't get it. Why would Asuks-neechan left just like that? And why haven't she come back ever since," Mokuba asked Seto. Seto knew the answer. ' That's because I hurt her feelings. I said a very cruel things to her.' But Seto can't ever say that to Mokuba so he said nothing. Mokuba thought Seto was feeling the same as he is so he said nothing and went to his room. He knew nothing about the guilt that Seto was carrying inside him.

Next morning, Seto went to his office as usual.When he entered his office, he saw someone was sitting on his chair but he couldn't tell whom since he was facing the chair's back. Seto walked to his desk. The chair was turned around reveling the face that he had longed to see for the past few days. " Asuka….," Seto blurted. He was very happy to see her again. He wanted to apologize but Asuka's cold expression made him stopped. Suku stood slowly and walked towards Seto. She was facing him when she said, " The CD. I want them back." Her words were monotone. There was coldness in her voice. Seto examined Asuka's face. He saw some cuts and bruises on her face. Her right arm was bandaged. Seto grabbed her hand and askedwith concern, " What happened to you? You're involved in a fight," Seto asked while checking the bruises. Asuka quickly pulled her hand way from Seto. She hissed, " It's none of your business. What happened to me don't matter to you." Asuka turned her back to Seto.

Now Seto now how much Asuka was hurt by his words. He felt really guilty. " The CD. Do you have it now?." Seto shook his head. " It's back at your mansion," Asuka asked coldly. Seto nodded. Asuka started t walk towards the door. Seto turned around and grabbed her arm. Asuka stopped but didn't turned around. " I'm sorry for what I said that night…," Seto whispered. Asuka said nothing, ouled her hand and walked away. Seto let out a long sigh.

Asuka was walking at the sidewalk, holding a paper. She stopped when she reached her destination. Asuka smiled and entered the building. The Maximilion Pegasus building. ' If Kaiba can't help me, I'll find someone that can.' Thinking what Seto had said to her that night made her heart bleed. It was a very cruel thing to say. 'If it comes from someone else, I think I can live with it but it comes from Seto Kaiba's mouth. I don't know why but it hurts like hell….' Asuka cleared her mind and walked inside Maximilion Pegasus's office.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 : The Kiss

Asuka was sitting on the sofa in the waiting room. She waited patiently although her patience was growing thinner by the minutes. Finally, a woman came into the room and said Mr. Maximillion Pegasus is ready to see her. 'Why can he just see me? Why does he have to be ''ready' to see me?." The waiting annoyed Asuka. 'I should break into his office like I did at KC but unfortunately this time; I have no time to play around.

Asuka entered the huge office. Pegasus was sitting at his desk, looking very much in control. ' I should really break in. Hate seeing egoistic people like this.' Asuka walked to his desk and sat on the chair, facing him. " I was told you have something 'intriguing' for me." Asuka nodded. She reached into her pocket and pull out the CD. " Tke a look at this and tell me if you're interested." Asuka threw the CD on the desk and walked away. " I'll come back tomorrow to hear about it," Asuka was about to exit when Pegasus said something that made her paused. " My, my. You're a straightforward person. Are you in some kind of hurry?." Asuka said nothing and leaved.

Pegasus looked at the CD on his desk. He decided to check on it later. 'I'll take a look when I go home.' Pegasus wondered who was that girl. " No name, no id, none whatsoever. What is she's up to? The content of the CD must be valuable enough that she skip all the intro part." Pegasus stared outside the window. He saw the girl walking down the street. " You managed to get my attention. Let's see what you're planning o do next." He smiled, and kept watching her till she disappeared from his view.

Asuka threw herself on the bed. She was in her hotel room. " Lots had happened and there will be more to come." Asuka sighed. " Why the hell I'm I doing this," she screamed at the top of her lung. An image of her father floated in her mind. " It's not because of you, old man…," she mumbled. An image of a young man, slightly older from her appeared. " Yes..I'm doing this for you. I need to find the answer why are you doing all this. And the answer lies in the code……" Asuka dozed off.

Everything around her was black. She couldn't see anything. Suddenly, she saw light at a corner. She dashed to it but the light fade away before she could reached it. She waited, looking around for another one. She saw another one. She tried to grab it but it fade away. She repeated doing it. Grabbing but it fade away. Until, she saw the brightest of all lights. She grabbed it. It didn't fade way. She whirled into another place.

She opened her eyes and saw that she was lying in a forest. She stood up and saw him. The guy from before, the reason she was doing all the impossible. He was holding a gun and he aimed the gun at her. ' No! Not again! It's always been the same dream over and over again…No! Next, he'lls hoot me. No!.' Asuka knew what will happen next. A gun shoot was heard. Asuka closed her eyes. She didn't felel anything so she opene her eye. There was another man standing in front of her. He took the bullet for her. The man turned around. Asuka gasped. He knew the guy.

It was Seto Kaiba. Seto smiled before he fell to the ground. Asuka knelt beside him. He was bleeding badly. Asuka placed her hand on her wound. She could feel the blood seeping through her finger. Her view was blurry because of her tears. What she feared the most happen. Seto finally closed his eyes. Asuka screamed like mad….

Cold sweat was trickling on her forehead. She was panting heavily. She sat up straight on her bed. Her clothes were wet with sweats. She looked around. She was still in her hotel room. Asuka tried to calm herself. She raised her hands to her face, covering them. Her hands were trembling with fear. She remembered vividly what she dreamt.

Quickly, she changed her clothes and walked out from the hotel. ' I need to see him. Just to make sure. Just to be sure that he's alright…' Asuka quicken her pace and headed towards the Kaiba mansion.

Seto was having trouble sleeping so he went to the kitchen to drink. To his surprise, Mokuba was at the table, a glass of milk in front of him. Mokuba was staring outside, not realizing his brother was there. Seto took a bottle of mineral water from the fridge and sat in front of his little brother. Only then Mokuba noticed. Seto took a sip and watched Mokuba. ' Something is troubling you Mokuba…," Seto started. "It's the same thing that troubles you brother," Mokuba replied slowly. Seto raised his eyebrows. " Yeah? You know what troubles me," Seto tested. " It's about Asuka-neechan right?."

Seto nodded slowly. Silence fell. " Damn it," Seto yelled and throw the bottle across the room. " Why is this happening? We barely new her but she had yhis kind of effect on us? Damn that girl," Seto yelled and covered his face with his hand. Mokuba said nothing. He looked very calm and mature while his brother acted like a child. " She's like a strom. She came without warning and she left without goodbye. Yet, we know she was here. Her effect is deep in us…" Mokuba left the kitchen and headed back to his room.

Seto was taken aback by his brother's word. Then he started to chuckle. " Storm huh?." Seto smiled and walked to the window. " I guess she is a storm…." Seto watched the night sky. " Hard to believe that kind of words came from Mokuba instead of you…" " Yeah..,' Seto replied. Only then he realized. He looked around to finf the owner of the voice. " Up here!." Seto let his head out of the window and saw Asuka was sitting on the on the outside part on the window. Asuka took no notice of him and let herself in. She slid in like a cat. Asuka ignored the flabbergasted Seto.

Asuka sat on the chair and stared at Seto. Seto walked towards the table and sit in front of her. " There's an invention called 'the door', you know," Seto started. Asuka shrugged. " I like the thing called 'breaking an entrance' better than ' the door'," Asuka replied. Seto smiled but Asuka remained as cold as before. " Why are you here," Seto asked gently. He was glad to see her again. " I need to confirm something so I came here. Now that I've confirmed it, I'm leaving," Asuka ended the conversation and walked towards the window.

Seto was not going to let her walk away.'No! Not again!." Seto grabbed her waist and pulled her close to him. Asuka struggled to escape. Seto harden his grip. Finally, Asuka stopped. " What do you want from me," she yelled to his face. Seto looked at the angry girl. There was fire in her eyes. Her face was red, trying to restrain her fury. Seto knew he liked her, he wanted her to be with him.

" Let me go! What do you want……..," Asuka stopped when she felt Seto's lips on hers. At that very moment she melted. Her knees wobbled. Only Seto's hand at her waist was holding her from falling to the ground. Seto's kiss grew deeper when Asuka kissed him back. They were in ecstasy for a few minutes when a thought hit Asuka and she pulled away. Asuka took a few steps backward before she fell, kneeling to the ground. Asuka cried. Seto saw her tears dropped and ran to her direction but Asuka was quit. She managed to run to the window before Seto reached her.Seto watched as Asuka disappeared in the darkness of night.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 : Another Connection Built.

Early in the morning, Asuka left for the Maximilion Pegasus building. This time she decided to break in. ' I'm tired of waiting. I need to end this quickly.' Asuka managed to sneak into Pegasus's office. " Piece of cake. It's even easier than the KC." The word KC reminded Asuka of the incident last night. She touched her lips with her fingers. "Last night was wrong…terribly wrong…," Asuka mumbled as she went into Pegasus's office and wait on his chair.

Like Seto, Pegasus was equally surprised to see Asuka in his office. " I need to know your answer," Asuka explained and got up from the chair. She walked to Pegasus, folded her hands and faced him. Pegasus smiled his charming smile. He brought his face closer to Asuka's. He whispered to her right ear. " For a beautiful lady like you, my answer is of course: yes…." Asuka nodded with satisfaction. " This how it will work. You'll let me use your super computer and I'll try to break the code. If I succeed, the result will be yours. I only need to break the code. Deal?." Pegasus nodded. He took Asuka's hand and kissed it. " Anything for a girl like you." Asuka made no remark of his action. She told him she'll start tomorrow and left without saying anything further.

Pegasus watched the CD last night. He knew that Asuka had gone to Kaiba before she came to him. " Did Kaiba rejected the project, that's why you came here," Pegasus asked Asuka who was standing at the door. Asuka turned around slowly and smirked. " Let's just say Mr. Kaiba refused to be involve in this project. I need the equipment and you have it. If we succeed, both of us will gain benefits although I don't know what kind of benefit yet.

Pegasus nodded, " I don't mind being a replacement but I'll make sure in the end, I'll get everything. Everything…." Asuka smiled and walked away. Pegasus grinned evilly, "That includes you, Miss Aoki Asuka…."

Seto paced around his office. He felt like something was missing. The problem was he doesn't know what was missing. Seto couldn't stand it any longer. Being in the office suffocates him. So he decided to take a ride around town. He got into his car and drove around the town, not knowing where to go. His car was approaching the Maximillion Pegasus building when he saw a familiar figure came out from the building. Seto slowed the car down. He couldn't believe his eyes. Asuka was walking out from the building. 'What is she doing here? She came here to see Pegasus? That's impossible. She came to Pegasus cause I refused to help her?.' Seto was desperate for answer. He stopped the car and ran towards Asuka. Asuka realized that Seto was running to her direction so she stopped and waited for him. ' I must face him. There's no use of trying to run away.' Seto approached the young woman. Asuka smiled. A fake one, Seto could tell.

" I want to know. You're here to see Pegasus," Seto asked Asuka. Asuka nodded, ' I already met him. We managed to come up with an agreement." Seto was shocked and hurt. " You showed him the CD?." " Yup, since you refused to co-operate I have to find someone else," Asuka said coldly. Seto looked her directly in the eye. Her eyes showed nothing but coldness and ignorance towards him. But Seto could trace the hurt in her eyes.

" If you have nothing more to say, I should be going. Lots of things to prepare for the process. Ja ne," Asuka waved and left Seto, speechless and hurt. Asuka dashed into a run. Saying those words hurts her as much as it hurt Seto. ' But I've decided, it's better to hurt than to be hurt.' Asuka was thrown aback when she hit something big. Lying on the ground, she grunted. Then only she looked up. Asuka was shocked. " You…" Standing in front of her was a man; the reason she was doing everything. The man who shot her in her dreams. " Kenji-niisan!."

Seto watched as Asuka ran away from him. He was about to leave when he saw Asuka bumped into a guy. Seto walked to see her condition but he dashed to her when he saw the man pull out a gun from his pocket.

Asuka's heart stopped when he saw the gun pointed at her. She got up slowly, raising her hand. " Kenji-niisan… What are you doing? It's me? Don't you remember me?." The man called Kenij was staring at Asuka emotionlessly. " Follow me quietly and no harm will be done to you…," Kenji said in a monotone. Asuka sighed. " Sorry, I can't do that!." With that, she kicked the gun from Kenji's hand. The gun was thrown a few metres away from them. Asuka ran to the gun, grabbed t before Kenji could and ran the opposite way. She could see Seto was running to her direction. Seto grabbed her hand and ran to his car. Asuka followed him cause she got no choice. The car sped away when they entered the car. " Seto Kaiba…," the man whispered to himself and left the place.

" Where to Mr. Kaiba," the driver asked. " Just drive anywhere Smith. Anywhere but here," Seto replied and looked at Asuka. She was staring outside the window. " Who was that," Seto asked. Asuka looked at him just for a while before staring back outside. " It's none of your business." Seto sighed. ' Man! She's tough! Her heart is like the combination of ice and rock at this time.' " Smith! Drop me at the next bus station will you," Asuka suddenly blurted. " Yes, miss!."

" Where are you going? I can give you a ride home." " Don't need one. Not going home anyway." Seto sighed. Suddenly, the car stopped. Asuka opened the door. Before she was out of the car, Seto grabbed her hand and asked, " Can we see each other again?." Asuka looked at him without saying anything for seconds. She loosen her arm and said, " Don't think so. Not hoping so." And closed the door. Then she walked away and board a bus. Seto tighten his fist. " God, I'll give anything to get her back…. I'll do anything to undo the bad things I've done to her….."


	8. Chapter 8

KIC

Chapter 8

The next day, Asuka continued her work as usual. She had a breakthrough last night and she was planning to solve it today. Little that she knew the next step would be more complicated and difficult. She skipped lunch that day. Her stomach was growling when it was time for dinner. She placed her hand on her tummy. " Maybe a quick snack will do…," she decided to go out and buy fast food. She got up froom her seat, stretched herself and was about to put on her jacket when Pegasus came in. " Mr. Pegasus? What are you doing here at this time," Asuka was puzzled. Pegasus was wearing a casual cloth. A black T-shirt and a brown khaki. He was holding a plastic bag. " I should be asking you the question…," Pegasus smiled and walked inside. " I was planning to go out and grab something to eat.. Anything that I can get for you," Asuka asked as she started wearing her jacket. " Fast food is not good for your health.," Pegasus said as he placed the plastic back on the table. " Yeah, but it's fast," Asuka winked and started heading towards the door.

" I brought something. My cook made it. May not be as good as your mother's but it's better than fast food." Asuka paused. Pegasus was looking at her with eyes full of hope. " Ok! I guess your right! What do you have?." Pegasus smiled and started unpacking the plastic bag while explaining everything that he had prepared. Asuka listened to him talking while they were eating. ' Pegasus is not bad actually…..,' Asuka though while talking to him.

After dinner, Asuka continued with her work while Pegasus headed to his office to finish some paperwork. Pegasus's office was next to the research lab and glass walls divided the rooms. So, from his office, he could see Asuka doing her work clearly. Asuka was determined. Most of the time she sat in front of the computer, concentrating on the decoding, sometimes she got up, when to the disc storage and looked up for information. Although the paperwork was just a few pieces of paper, Pegasus couldn't finish it up. He spent the time watching Asuka doing her work and smiled when he saw her yawn or stretch. " I wondered why Kaiba rejected someone like this? She's perfect to my eyes….," Pegasus whispered to himself and smiled when he saw her jumped around in victory after she managed to decode a level.

Asuka was sleeping when Pegasus drove her home. It was nearly 4 in the morning. Sometimes, Pegasus stole a glance towards Asuka who was sleeping like a baby. He offered her a ride home when she finished her job for the day. At first Asuka refused but seeing how sleepy she was and how late it was, he managed to put her in his car. Minutes after the drive, she already fall asleep. " And she said she still can walk home. Maybe she'll end up sleeping at some alley..," Pegasus mumbled and chuckled to himself. When he stopped, he lifted his free hand and gently caressed her face. Asuka moaned a little but she didn't wake up. Pegasus smiled, " Soft, as expected…."

Pegasus stopped the car. They already reached Asuka's apartment. " Asuka…," Pegasus whispered and nudged her gently on the shoulder. " Slowly and lazily, Asuka opened her eyes. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. " We're here," she asked dreamily. Pegasus nodded and he got out from the car. Asuka opened the door and went out. She stretched a little. Pegasus stood next to her. " I'll walk you till the door," Pegasus said. Asuka nodded. " It's ok. I'll be fine. Thanks for the ride." Pegasus stared into her eyes. Asuka said nothing. It was awkward. " Ok! Good night," Asuka waved and started to walk . After a few steps, Pegasus called her. " Asuka!." Asuka turned around, " What ….." When she turned around, Pegasus was already hugging her. She paused. " Pegasus, what are you doing? What is this," Asuka asked but she made no sudden move. Pegasus broke the hug. He was holding Asuka's shoulder. Asuka's eye never left his. That was when he pulled Asuka forward and kissed her. The kiss didn't last long. After a few seconds, after recovered from her shock, Asuka pulled back. " What was that for," she yelled to Pegasus. Then, she turned around and ran inside the building. Pegasus raised his arm, he wanted to stop her but then he just let her run. Behind the bushes, camera flashes were flashing. A reporter was truly enjoying it. " This is going to be hot…."


End file.
